Prison Break
by LemonLilly
Summary: AU: After collapsing under an enormous debt, the village council has had no choice but to shut down prisons and release inmates into the free world. With chaos and gore quickly ensuing, Sasuke begins to lose what little sanity he has left, until he stumbles upon Hinata Hyuga. Now the pair must try and find safe haven in this new, bloody reality.
1. Chapter 1: 72 Days

It's been 72 days since the executive council had decided to close down prisons, thanks to the enormous debt they managed to collect and eventually drown under. This meant they would have to make budget cuts somewhere or fall to the mercy of other villages.

120 days ago they announced budgets cuts to prisons. First, they started with the food programs, and then they tried to save money by overcrowding cells. It was 87 days ago when prisoners lost most, if not all, of their health benefits. Those on the outside began locking their doors and boarding up their windows, trying to prepare themselves for whatever might come next, which was expected to be riots from the prisoner's families and friends, which surprisingly enough, never came.

72 days ago, there was no warning when the council opened the doors to the prison, and then, once empty, closed them, not to be reopened in the foreseeable future, but to be rammed down by frantic faces trying to find a safe haven, attempting to feign the safe homes they once had. Riots began to break out, stores and homes were burnt to the ground and the justice system eventually fell to the ground, leaving nothing but a trail of chaos behind.

Since then there's little to nothing left; both normal civilians and prisoners started looting stores for all they had, which eventually led to Anbu teams having to come in, which, in a sense, turned out to be a total waste of time because they had eventually lost control. This so-called 'paradise' that was once a bright, beautiful and brave homeland is now a ravaged ghost town.

Neighborhoods are now empty, with glass from broken windows glazed over atop the streets, mixed with burnt wood from stores and homes that had gone down in flames. These houses are no longer homes, but just buildings of memories that are now broken and tattered.

Few dared to linger out on the streets in fear of being attacked or worse. Women were being raped, kidnapped, trafficked and killed and men were being beaten to death and gunned down in the middle of streets. Walking outside had become a death wish, that in this sick reality had become a way out.

There were few places left to hide from the terror that loomed outside: stores had been burned down to the ground, schools had becoming nesting sites for those who would rather prick themselves with needles than face what was outside. There were no more hospitals, just supposedly empty safe houses. Those with grudges went straight to the councils, village halls and courthouses to settle their troubles, while fire stations and Anbu were being overrun with calls that they would be unable to handle.

It seemed unrealistic, but many of those considered "outsiders," or those who were outside the prison walls had been killed off within the first few weeks. The entire village had become filled with the "insiders." Outsiders began to group up, but could only stick together for so long before they were hunted and eventually caught.

All Sasuke could think was how surreal it all had become. The entire village had collapsed within the course of a few months. Hundreds of people had died or were accounted as 'missing.' Families were being torn apart, as well as the sanctuaries that all promised to be safe until they were once again burned down. What was surreal to him now was that life had become hopeless. Every day, thousands of people were taking their lives, as if there was no escape from this hell on earth, and every day he began to understand why a little better. It was no longer crazy for Sasuke to see someone hanging from the branch of a tree, or someone lying in the middle of the street, but for him to see people try to avoid this new reality - to see people who did hold onto hope.

Sasuke was in the local bar with a few friends watching the big game when the 'breaking news' signs began to flash across the screens surrounding the counters. At first, the bar was silent, but within seconds it became filled with panic and distress. Apart from all the screaming and trembling that filled the room, sirens became audible off in the distance. He ran outside to be met with the last bit of normality he would mostly likely ever see in his lifetime. It took less than a day for the chaos to consume the whole area. It wasn't long before the government and councils had begun to collapse. The connection to the outside world quickly began to fail.

Once he realized that many of his 'friends' had disappeared, he tried to ditch the village - it was all he knew how to do at this point. He didn't have any friends, any family; his last chance now was to run. He hopped into his car and took the hour long drive out to the gates that connected the villages. Much to Sasuke's dismay, the gates had already been thoroughly blocked, which at the time had him in both awe and horror. Less than a minute after coming to this realization, he was thrown out of his car and left on the side of the road. Having no plan, he simply ran back in the same direction he came from.

Never in his life has Sasuke felt so helpless. No weapons, no money, no car, no security. He was now in hazardous area with little to no escape for what felt like the first time in his life.

He finally made it back to his minuscule apartment after what felt like days. Once safely inside, Sasuke began to examine the apartment and the destruction that seemed to follow him home. The outside world became hell on earth and the inside didn't seem to be faring much better.

Soon enough, telephone lines came down, radio stations shut down, and emergency broadcasting signals became a waste. Luckily for him, he had survived the larger part of his life on canned goods, instant ramen and rice balls, so he never seemed to be met with the need to leave his apartment, thanks to his ability to stock up and buy in bulk. At least during the end of days, Sasuke could still find something to pride himself on.

He was able to maintain this way of living for a few weeks before he began to run low on food, meaning he would eventually have to leave, or starve to death. He sat down and contemplated which scenario was worse, but the continuous rumbling of his stomach eventually persuaded him that leaving the apartment was, in fact, the better option. Sasuke stalled himself for as long as he could before finally realizing this little place of his had been completely emptied out, with the exception of a box of goldfish crackers that had an expiration date of two years ago.

He pried the wood that had been nailed to the door off and made his way down the stairs of the building. The lights were all out, some had been shattered. Most of the apartments were now desolate of life. Graffiti now covered the walls, accompanied by a few bullet holes and blood splats. 'Is food really worth going outside?' Sasuke asked himself over and over as he stood outside the doors to the world. As he opened the doors they released a screech that was the equivalent to running your finger nails down a chalk board.

He took his first two steps and stopped. The sky had turned a dark shade of red as if at any moment he would find himself caught in a rain storm of blood. The grass was no longer bright and vibrant, but dead and brown. The air smelt like burnt flesh and human waste.

Unlike how he expected, people were not being gunned down at every turn, and women were not being attacked at every corner. For the most part the streets seemed to be empty, with the occasional stray animal.

He walked down the once familiar streets; Ramen Ichiraku was now merely tattered cloth and ashes. The windows of the academy he once attended were now shattered and the walls were punctured repeatedly with holes. The hospital looked as if it had become some sort of hide out where druggies would lounge to get high, and the library looked as if had become a sex club or a trafficking stop. Walking through the street made Sasuke feel as if someone had stolen his dull childhood right out from under him, and the only thing he could do was watch.

Sasuke wandered through the streets for what felt like hours, clueless as to where he would even go for food at this point. He noticed a small ma-and-pop shop hidden in between two much larger buildings and made his way over. He stepped over the rubble and pushed back a curtain to the entrance of the store. Fortunately, it wasn't completely demolished. He started picking up shelves and rummaging through the products that fell, or in the more likely case where thrown, onto the floor.

"Fuck!" His voice croaked out as he cut his thigh on a broken piece of the metal shelves. It was then when he realized just how long he had gone without human interaction. His own voice became foreign to him.

He gathered all the rice and ramen that lined the back walls and a case or so of water, bagged it, and went on his way. Anxiously wondering if he would be attacked, he quickly made his way home.

Once he made it home, he lit the stove with a match, cooked himself some rice and stared out the window. This seemed to become his new daily routine. What else was he to do? No radio, no television, no internet, and walking outside could easily become a death trap. Was he just supposed to continue on like this forever? He checked all the locks once, then twice, then three times before he was finally able to close his eyes and fall asleep.

He almost gave himself whiplash as he flung straight up from his bed. "Gunshots." Sasuke whispered to himself. Gun fire ripped through the air violently and echoed off of every building in the village. Every night there seemed to be at least one gun shot, but tonight it sounded as if someone was shooting off firecrackers. He reached out for his lantern and held it up to the window. There was nothing there, just darkness.

As he was about to blow out the candle, a young woman ran into sight. He felt his body go numb as a man chased after her. Finally catching up to her, the man grabbed her forearm and backhanded her across the face. Attempting to fight back, she began to kick, and punch and yell, but she was no match for the man in front of her.

He couldn't move. His body had become paralyzed from head to toe. What was he supposed to do? Was Sasuke supposed to go rescue her and potentially risk his own life? Was he expected to? Why should he even care what happens to her? But what does happen to her if no one helps her?

Sasuke watched as the man punched her in the stomach and her piercing scream rang through the sky. No longer thinking properly, he grabbed the only weapon he could find: an old baseball bat laying up by the door. He stumbled outside as quickly as he could, almost tripping down the stairs several times.

As he approached the pair he watched as she pulled out a gun. He found himself frozen once again. What if she shoots him now too? That thought was quickly erased from his head as the man wrestled the gun away from her, hitting her in the head with the butt. He watched as her whole body went numb and she collapsed. But now the man had the gun, and the likelihood of him being shot seemed much higher. Sasuke swallowed all of his doubt and called out for the man. His head shot around so quickly that Sasuke was surprised when it didn't swing off. Almost instantly, he pulled the trigger and shot in his direction. Grazing his shoulder, Sasuke ran up to the man and slammed the bat into the side of the man's head and watched as he fell down to the ground. Blood quickly began to leak out from the dent that was now in the side of his head and pooled around his lifeless body. Sasuke's hands began to shake uncontrollably. He ran over to the strip of grass lining the side of the road and began vomiting. What if she was the one in the wrong? Had he read the signs right?

Sasuke looked over at the girl who lay limp in the street; blood flowed out from the gash on her head and began to stain her clothes. He diverted his attention away from her and to that of the gun. He picked it up and tucked it into the waistband of his pants. He looked back at the girl. Should he just leave her here? What happens if he does? He cringed at himself as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and headed back to his apartment.

He kicked open the door and laid her down onto the bed. He stared at her once more, and taped a piece of gauze over the gash on her forehead in an attempt to prevent her from staining his dark, satin sheets. He sat down across from her and realized that she was the first person he had come into contact with in weeks, if not months. With the exception of that man. He shivered slightly at the thought.

What was he supposed to do with her now? Should he just clean her up and send her on her way? Or what if someone tries to hurt her again? What if she tries to hurt him?

Realizing that this girl could be potentially dangerous, Sasuke climbed up on top of her and searched her for whatever else she might be hiding under her clothes. It was then that she woke up, screamed and began to scratch at him. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pushed her back down.

"Stop!" He shouted at her as she became consumed with panic. He searched her face until their eyes finally meet. As her heart rate began to slow, he realized his face was only centimeters away from hers. "Sorry," He mumbled as he released her arm and backed away. Her eyes looked empty, and, as if all her memories came rushing back to her, all at once she started to cry. He felt the same panic watching her cry as when he was watching her get attacked by that man. Not knowing what else to do, he handed her a piece of cloth, which was more or less one of his old shirts, to wipe her eyes with. A tiny, shaky hand reached out to accept the cloth. "Thank you," she whispered. An uncomfortable silence rang out through the air as he couldn't help but stare at her.

Her hair was waist-length and a dark shade of blue that resembled a midnight sky, and her skin was pale as snow, adorned with fresh bruises from the attack. She sniffled, and then began to rearrange and fix her clothing. Her upper body was barely visible, as it was hidden beneath a long-sleeved shirt and thick hooded-jacket. Her legs were dirty and bruised and each time she caught him looking she would try to hide them under her cream-colored skirt. He snorted quietly to himself as he realized she was missing a sandal. Her eyes snapped up and over to him and he paused. "Were you going somewhere?" He asked. She only stared at him. "I mean, you look like you're ready to be going somewhere...but at this hour?"

"I j-just wanted to leave." She answered as her eyes fell to the ground and she pressed the bloody gauze up to her forehead. As he sat down next to her, she huddled into a ball in the corner. Realizing how scared she must be, he attempted to act more welcoming.

"Let me help you with your cut." Sasuke offered her.

"No," she snapped back, "it's okay. I can do it myself."

"All you're doing is pressing a dirty piece of gauze to your head." He smirked.

"But-" she tried to intervene.

"If you keep pressing that piece of gauze up to your head that cut will get infected and you'll have a much bigger problem than you do now." He said sternly. Her demeanor softened as she let him replace the gauze on her head. "Now," he asked, "where were you really headed?"

"I was being honest," she replied, "I just wanted to leave. There's nothing left for me here."

Realizing that was most likely the truth, Sasuke let the subject go. As he finished rinsing out her gash with water, she mumbled out the softest 'thank you' he had ever heard. He turned around to grab a blanket for her and by the time he had turned back she was at the door leaving. He rushed over and threw himself in front of her.

"Where are you going?" He glared at her.

"I said I wanted to leave. There's nothing here for me a-anymore"

"That gash on your head," he pointed down at her, "you're probably not physically ready just yet."

But was she? As her little body attempted to push past him, he continued to block the door from her...but why? Did he miss human interaction this much that he was willing to hold some girl here against her will? And then he stopped. Even before inmates were running amuck, he had never been one for social interaction. He spent most of his time alone, with the exception of a few close friends who he would occasionally see. So then why was he so desperate to keep this girl here?

He began, "You can't go. You'll probably pass out before you even reach the gate. And I won't be there to save you again."

Her eyes finally met with his, and he could easily see how terrified she was.

"Look, you stay here, and then when you're back to being good and healthy, I will personally accompany you to the gate." He bargained with her. Her eyes immediately softened and she began to back away from the door.

"I can't ask that of you," she said as she diverted her eyes away from mine once again.

"How about this," He said as he reached around the back of his pants to grab her gun, "you let me keep this and I'll walk you to the gate? Fair trade." As he swung the gun in front of her face to taunt her, she immediately started feeling around her body, "You really should keep better track of your stuff." He smirked at her.

She huffed and puffed and let out a reluctant "fine." He felt a little victory as he continued to smirk and she made her way back to the bed.

Catching him by surprise, she finally mumbled out, "What's your name? I want to thank you properly…for saving my life."

He looked at her, face emotionless, "Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. And you are?"

She began to fidget with her hair, "Hinata Hyuga." She then looked at him with the most beautiful smile, "Thank you for saving my life, Sasuke Uchiha."

It was at this moment Sasuke realized that all he knew now was that at the start of the end of days, he had met Hinata Hyuga.


	2. Chapter 2: Whiskey Blood

**Chapter 2: Whiskey Blood**

It had been two weeks since Hinata Hyuga had stumbled into Sasuke's life after taking a beating from a man, who was still unbeknown to him. He wasn't sure if it was due to his lack of human interaction, but there was something different about this girl. She didn't talk much. He never caught her singing to herself when she was alone or in the shower. An occasional chuckle would fall from her lips, most often when he would trip over his belongings thrown all over the floor. But even then it was still the softest sound, almost as if it were nothing at all. Like a chuckle of pity. Sometimes she would mumble incoherent words to herself, almost as if she was reminding him that she was still around.

Every morning she would wake up approximately six minutes after sunrise, as if her internal clock had been permanently set. She would make up the bed and clean up the clothes that he had become accustomed to throwing on the floor every night. She would heat up water for rice or noodles, and then head to the bath. If Sasuke woke up before she was finished, he would add in whatever he felt like eating at the time and slop it into two bowls. The two always ate in silence and he always ended up finishing her bowls. As quiet as it was, this routine way of life was still more exciting than his previous routine, which was void of any and all human interaction.

It had been a week and a half since Sasuke realized Hinata was physically able to leave, and once she realized it too, he would no longer have an excuse to keep her here and his life would soon go back to being dull and bleak. He started to wonder if she was a Godsend that was meant to keep him sane. As quiet as she was, it was all the interaction he needed.

"Sasuke," Hinata said, successfully snapping him out of his thoughts, "you're out of gauze." She looked at him softly as she held up an empty first aid kit.

"Umm," he began to shuffle around for anything that he could use in replace of gauze. Anything to keep her from leaving. From being thrown back into the outside world. "Maybe you can just use a paper towel?" He said as he rummaged through the cabinets.

"You're out of paper towels." She stated.

"A napkin?"

"You're out."

Not thinking, he blurted out, "Toilet paper?"

"You're out." She blushed ever so slightly. Was there anything in this damn apartment besides rice and ramen? What was he supposed to do, have her stuff her head with a package of ramen?

Without realizing, he managed to cut open the side of his hand on a kitchen knife, stopping him in his tracks. Hinata stared at his hand for a second before simply walking out the door, saying she'd be back later. He attempted to run after her, but he fell on his face after tripping on a dirty pair of pants. Before he was able to get back up she was already halfway down the road.

It had only been fifteen minutes before he had successfully psyched himself out. Why wasn't she back yet? She didn't have any weapons, did she? What if she went to the gate by herself? What if she comes back with a gun?

Walking through the door with a brown paper bag, Hinata once again snapped Sasuke back into reality and away from his pressing thoughts.

"I'm back." She mumbled as she locked the door behind her. She set the bag down on top of the small table in the center of the room. Like a nosey cat, Sasuke slid up under her and evaluated the goods as she unpacked. She silently unpacked a book of matches, toilet paper, gauze, bandages, some other essentials and three single packs of ramen. Great. As if they need more damn ramen. He watched her silently from across the room as she began to put away the goods in various cabinets.

As if she could feel his eyes burning through her back, she turned around and quietly whispered out, "What?"

Grabbing the gauze and bandages off the table, Sasuke headed to the bathroom, smirked ever so slightly and said, "I'm just glad no one managed to kill you." earning a small glare from the girl, before shutting the door.

Later that evening, Hinata started the ramen while he fidgeted with the emergency service radio. "Static." He whispered to himself, as if he expected anything but. As dramatically as he could, Sasuke flung his body over the back of the couch. "What's the damn point?" He yelled out as he threw the radio at the wall. Trying to keep him from alerting anyone of where we were, Hinata slid a bowl of ramen in front of his face. He glanced over at her; she sat quietly, staring down at her bowl of soup. Did this girl ever eat?

"Do you ever eat?" He blurted out, not thinking.

Her eyes drifted up to meet mine, "How do you eat ramen e-every day?" Hinata asked shyly.

"I'd rather eat rice." He glared at her slightly for choosing to make ramen, "But I'll eat anything at this point." He scoffed out.

"Then you can eat mine too." She said as she slid her bowl over in front of him. She then stood up and made her way over to the bedroom.

"Hey!" he shouted in her direction, "If you don't eat, how do you expect to make it to the gates?"

She stopped and stared at the wall, before answering with, "I guess I'll figure it out." and then shut the door behind her.

He stared down at her bowl of ramen for what felt like hours. Had she realized she was ready to head out and was now stalling? What if she no longer wanted to leave? What if -

"Sasuke?" She asked him softly, peeking her head out of the door. "I'm sorry I didn't ask earlier, but how is your hand?'

He stared down at gash down the side of his left hand. "It's whatever, I guess." He said quietly. Within seconds, she was there.

"It's bleeding through the gauze." She said as she grabbed his hand. Before he knew it she was leading him into the bathroom. She issued for him to sit down on the rim of the bath tub. Removing the gauze, she began to examine the wound. "That's pretty deep...you'll need stitches."

"No, no, no, no." He said as he began to sit up and leave.

"Sasuke, if this gets infected it will lead into your bloodstream, and you could die." She said with eyes full of intent. He paused before he backed down and sat on the rim of the tub. "Do you have alcohol? And a sewing kit?"

Pointing over to the kitchen, he replied, "All I have is a bottle of whiskey over in the top right side of the cabinet."

Less than a minute later she returned with the bottle of whiskey, and began searching around his room. "Is there anything I can help you with?" He said with his usual smirk in place. Continuing on as if she didn't hear him, Hinata made her way over to his desk. Gleaming with success, she pulled a single paper clip off a stack of papers. Making her way back over to him, she threw herself down onto the ground. Looking around again, she paused and then grabbed her skirt, tearing a slit up the side. "Hey!" Sasuke shouted as she caught him off guard. Ignoring him, she slid the thread out of the hemmed lining of the skirt.

She began searching again until she found a pair of scissors. She attempted for a full five minutes before she was able to successfully cut the paper clip in half. He watched as she took the paper clip and folded it in half, leaving a small opening at the top. Once he realized just what she was doing, he began to feel a sense of dread loom over him. She threaded the string from her skirt around the opening and tied a knot at the end. Sensing his discomfort, she stood up and took the washcloth off the counter, and placed it into his mouth.

Pouring the whiskey all over the paper clip, she whispered, "T-this is going to hurt." Sasuke rolled his eyes. His pain tolerance was pretty damn high. He is an Uchiha after all.

She then poured whiskey onto the open wound, and without giving him a break, stabbed the paper clip through the folds of the gash. Hinata began to blush as she could just barely make out the obscene words falling from his gagged mouth.

He groaned in pain as she continued weaving the paper clip in and out of his bloodied skin. Blood began pooling out of the gash, and dipping down her arm and off onto her skirt, staining it. He listened in disgust as the paper clip repeatedly ripped through his flesh. With tears in her eyes, Hinata whispered, "I'm sorry." as Sasuke blacked out into nothingness.

He woke up presumably only minutes later as she was beginning to wrap his hand in gauze.

"Sasuke!" Hinata shouted as she began to panic. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry!" She once again began to tear up. "I'm so so-"

He placed his other hand on her head, effectively quieting her. "You did what you had to do." He said with the smallest smile on his face, gaining a crimson blush from Hinata. "Thank you." He said as he stood up shakily, and made his way over to his bed.

"Do you have any pain relievers?" He said, cringing slightly in pain.

"No." He groggily muttered back. She didn't say anything back, but he could hear her shuffling around in the other room. Sitting up, he began pressuring her to stay. "Where are you going?" He groaned.

"I can't put you in this much pain without anything to numb it." She stated, "I'm going to find you something to ease the pain." She then began mumbling to herself about how stupid she was to go out and not think to pick up painkillers. He listened as she continued her rant, until he finally walked over to her. Scaring her, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the door.

"It's late. You can think about how stupid you were tomorrow, but it's too dark to leave now." He smirked at her.

"But you'll have such a hard time tonight without anything." She countered. "I need to go tonight-"

He pulled her back away from the door and swung her around to face me. "I said you can go tomorrow. It's too dangerous to go tonight." He said as he towered over her. Looking into her eyes, he realized how frightening he must have seemed, and he began to loosen his grip on her wrist. "Besides," He began as he moved back over to the bed, "I need you here to make sure I don't die in my sleep or something."

Her eyebrows curved upward as she looked at him sorrowfully.

"In the morning." Sasuke mumbled as he began to pass out, "In the morning."

The next morning he awoke to the grotesquely familiar smell of ramen and the ever so slight scent of lavender. Sasuke began to slide out of bed when he realized just how pain he was really in. He cringed loudly, alerting Hinata that he was now awake. She ran to the door to check up on him. She then dragged him into the bathroom to change his gauze. As she normally did, Hinata poured his bowl of ramen and slid it out in front of him. After making sure everything was in place, she grabbed her coat off the couch.

"I'm leaving now." She mumbled as she headed to the door.

Almost choking on the noodles, he tried to get up and follow her.

"Sasuke, you're not fit to leave like this." She then pointed over to his room, "If you're so worried, tell me where the gun is."

Sasuke paused for a moment, before asking, "How do I know you won't leave?"

"Because we made a deal." She smiled ever so slightly. Trusting her, he began to stand up, but was quickly pushed back down by Hinata's small hands. "I asked you to tell me where it was, not to go get it. You'll hurt yourself."

Sighing in defeat, he finally answered her. "It's under the mattress. On the right side."

It wasn't long before she had found it, and made her way to the door. Without making a sound, she was gone.

While she was gone, he poured himself two more bowls of ramen, read half of one of the books she must have brought back with her earlier, attempted to tidy up a little bit (because while she had never commented on it, Hinata did not seem to be too fond of the mess that was his apartment) and even changed the gauze on his hand for a second time. Even though there were no clocks on the wall, he could tell she had been gone and unusually long time. He began to worry. Did something happen to her? What if someone tried to hurt her? What if someone _did_ hurt her? But why would he care? Why should he care? But what if she had left? Then what? Could he just go back to being alone? Could he convert back to living with no human interaction? What does he do then? What does he do without Hinata?

Without warning, a gunshot rang through the air. With no time to process it, Sasuke's legs were already carrying him outside the door and down the stairs. He slammed the building doors open and sprinted down the street. The closer he got to the little convenience store, the faster his legs seemed to carry him. In the distance he could hear glass shattering, shelves falling. His legs couldn't seem to move fast enough. He had to get to her. He needed to.

He busted past the curtains of the shop to see a man hung over Hinata, pinning her up to the wall by her neck, and attempting to get under her skirt. The gun laid on the floor, as if it had been kicked to the side. The man was bleeding from the shoulder, meaning Hinata must have shot him when he started to attack her. Sasuke had stormed into the shop with intent to kill. When Hinata turned to look at him, the man followed suit, showing no signs of panic.

The man smirked at him and said, "Aye, man, wait in line. I'll be done soon enough-"

Without letting him finishing Sasuke grabbed the man's face with one hand and slammed him through the glass counter. He grunted as he repeatedly slammed the man into the counter, each time with more force than the last. "You would do that to an innocent woman?" He screamed at him as he continued with the violent assault. Blood coated the glass along with his hands and was now splattered all over various parts of his body. Soon enough, the man's head had begun to cave in. It wasn't until Hinata moaned from behind him, that Sasuke was snapped out of his rage. He dropped the man and ran over to Hinata. She looked so fragile as she laid in a pile of broken glass. Her jacket had been torn off, and both her shirt and skirt were torn apart and splattered with blood. It was obvious to anyone who saw her that she had been badly beaten. She was bleeding from the mouth, and her left eye was already developing a black and blue ring around it. When he pulled the man off of her, he must have dropped her straight into the glass, as her knees were riddled with shards of glass, as well as the side of her arm, hand and face, that had also taken impact to the fall.

Picking her up and moving her out of the glass, Sasuke quickly gathered up any pain relievers and creams that he could find, as well as the gun. He scooped Hinata up in his arms and began to leave. As he stepped out, he could hear the man groan and starting to mumble. Without thinking, he turned around and shot him in the neck, leaving him to bleed out in the middle of the store.

Once they got back to the apartment, he set Hinata down on the couch, nailed in the wood blockades back onto the door, and placed the gun onto the table. Knowing he would have to face her if he didn't, he finally took the pain killers Hinata had so desperately wanted him to have, and forced some down her throat as well. Sasuke then began the agonizing process of cleaning her up.

He started with the glass on her face. Armed with a pair of tweezers, he pulled each piece of glass out one by one, until he had finished with her face, her arm and hand, and finally her knees. She would occasionally stir when he would pull a larger piece out of her flesh, but she had yet to fully wake up.

He cringed as he looked at her face. Her left eye was black and blue all over and was beginning to swell. Her lip had been busted, and her nose had been bleeding uncontrollably. The once pale skin on her neck was now covered by two purple hand prints that had tried to strangle her. He wrapped both of her knees and her arm in gauze and patted down the side of her face, taping a long strip gauze along her cheek. He cleaned up the now dry blood that was on the side of her face and wrapped gauze around her head to cover up her eye.

Realizing that he hadn't checked anywhere else on her body, Sasuke slowly began to lift up her shirt. The bruises from when they had first met were now only small spots that did little to distract from her curves and silky skin. Moving from where he was sitting on the table to kneeing on the floor beside her, Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist on the couch, and laid his head onto her stomach. Without her saying or doing anything, Hinata was still able to provide Sasuke more comfort in this moment than he had felt since even before prisoners were let loose. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he began to drift off.

He must have fallen asleep wrapped around Hinata, because Sasuke didn't seem to wake up until she began to stir. He quickly pulled himself off of her and watched her as she woke up. It wasn't long before she began to panic. Shallow, quiet screams were coming from the back of her throat as the first wave of pain hit her while she was trying to sit up.

"Hey, hey, hey," He whispered softly as he tried to push her back down onto the couch, "you're okay, you're okay. Calm down." He whispered into her ear. She grabbed his arms and searched Sasuke's eyes for anything, something.

"S-Sasuke?" She croaked out.

Once again, he scooped her into his arms and carried her into bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed, and pulled the sheets up over her. He looked at her and watched as everything suddenly came rushing back to her; the beating, his hands sliding up her legs and under her skirt, the glass that pierced her skin.

Ignoring the pain, Hinata threw her face into his abdomen, and flung her arms around his waist, grabbing onto him as if she was holding on for dear life. He sat down next to her and pulled her up onto his lap as she began sobbing into his chest. He slid his hands down her hair and rubbed small circles into her back until she stopped crying and fell asleep once more.

That night Sasuke made rice by himself. When he finished eating what he wanted, he saved the rest for her, even though he knew it was unlikely for her to eat it. Opting out of sleeping on the couch, he quietly slid into the bedroom. He glanced over at Hinata to see her curled up in a ball with her back to him. He stripped down to his underwear and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. He quietly slipped under the sheets next to her, his back to hers.

He laid there silently for a moment, before quietly whispering out, "Don't leave me again."

Not expecting an answer, he was surprised when the softest "okay" fell from her lips.

As their backs slowly grew closer to each other, Sasuke firmly believed that in that moment everything was good in the world once again.


End file.
